Chemicals are present in virtually all aspects of the environment in which humans live. For instance, herbicides and pesticides are used in agriculture to more efficiently and economically produce food. Likewise, industrial chemicals are used in many aspects of the manufacturing industry to fabricate and produce the goods that we use. The widespread use of these various chemicals requires methods of detection in order to most efficiently use the various chemicals.
Methods of detecting chemicals are used in disciplines other than agriculture and industry. For instance, contaminants in soil and water are monitored to keep in line with environmental regulations. Also, prohibited substances, such as illegal drugs, chemical weapons, biological weapons and explosives, may be screened for in various contexts. The various chemicals may be screened for at the site, or in the field, where the sampling occurs or samples may be taken at the site and transported to a laboratory for analysis or testing.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,492,759 to Gorman et al. discloses a qualitative test for detecting asbestos. The qualitative test is performed with a field test kit that includes the reagents and tubes required to perform the test. A sample is placed in a column of the test kit and various reagents are added to, and removed from, the sample in the column. If the tested sample contains asbestos, a color develops and indicates the presence of the asbestos. Another field test kit is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,992,379 to Hanby. The field test kit in Hanby is used to qualitatively and quantitatively test for aromatics in soil and groundwater. The field test kit includes items for performing the test, wherein a characteristic color is developed if the contaminating aromatics are present in a sample.
Presently, tissue samples are collected from the potatoes at a first location, such as a potato storage facility, where the potatoes have been treated with the sprout inhibitor or sprout suppressant for storage. The potatoes are collected from a potato storage facility and transported to a second location, such as a laboratory, where the presence of the sprout inhibitor an/or sprout suppressant, such as DMN and/or CIPC, is quantitatively measured or otherwise analyzed. Conventional methods of analyzing the amount of CIPC on the potatoes include sending whole potatoes in a bag from the potato storage facility to the laboratory. DMN is typically transported in a sealed container, such as a one gallon metal can, from the potato storage facility to the laboratory.
Although some field test kits include components that allow testing to be performed on site in the field, other tests require conditions or equipment that are not practical or economical for performance in the field. For example, the testing may require the use of a detection apparatus that is too expensive or too large to be efficiently transported to, and used in, the field. In such cases, the tests are performed in a laboratory.
There are a number of disadvantages associated with transporting the sample to the laboratory. These include the expense associated with transporting the sample to the laboratory or testing facility, loss of sample integrity during transport (i.e., some chemicals are volatile), and damage to the contents of the sample during transport. Thus, a need exists for more efficient methods for collecting a sample thought to include a chemical residue and transporting the sample thought to contain the chemical residue to a laboratory for testing. Such methods should preserve the integrity of the sample and provide efficient transport of the sample to the laboratory.